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Den of Thieves 2: Panterarecently hit theaters, and unlike its predecessor, Los Angeles cop Nick O’Brien (Gerard Butler) finds himself on the other side of the law. Despite his efforts to continue his investigation into Donnie Wilson (O’Shea Jackson Jr.), no one in his department wants to pursue the issue further. Given Donnie stole money from the Federal Reserve that was already slated to be shredded, it appears as though there was no robbery at all. Because there’s technically no money missing from any of the federal banks, it’s a nonissue. Furthermore, continuing such an investigation would only serve to harm the reputation of the police and the Federal Reserve.As such, Nick’s pursuit is dead in the water. However, he remains undeterred and, true to form, takes matters into his own hands.
Following a diamond robbery on a plane tarmac in Antwerp, Nick believes Donnie is involved and takes it upon himself to travel to Europe. Clearly, outside his jurisdiction, he utilizes his expired U.S. Marshall badge as a mere intimidation tactic. Now in Nice, France, Nick confirms Donnie is indeed planning something and tracks him down. However, their encounter doesn’t pan out like Donnie might have expected. Instead of showing up to arrest Donnie and take him back to the United States, Nick is there to get a piece of the proverbial pie.He’s there to break bad. Given his personal and professional life seems to be down in the dumps following the events ofDen of Thieves,Nick has had enough, and now he wants what the criminals have: money.
What Leads Nick to Switch Sides in ‘Den of Thieves 2’?
Den of Thieves 2: Pantera
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At the beginning ofDen of Thieves 2, Nick is up against the consequences of his personal decisions and finds himself in family court. After cheating on his wife and generallybeing a terrible husbandin the first film, Nick is now divorced. To make matters worse, he clearly no longer has any sort of custody of his two daughters. Despite how much he might purport to care about his family, his actions drove them away, so now he’s ultimately alone and completely broke. In many ways,Nick’s situation offers the perfect foundation any cop would use to flip to the other side of the law.
Now wounded by his poor choices, Nick tries to focus his efforts on catching the one bad guy who got away. However, given his superiors find it a moot point, Nick seemingly has nothing good going for him. Nonetheless, he travels to Europe and finds Donnie. Leading up to his trip across the pond, Nick gives no indication he plans to switch sides. Instead, viewers are led to believe he has every intention of arresting Donnie. That being said, upon breaking into Donnie’s apartment in order to wait for his return, it doesn’t take long for Nick to express his desire to partake inDonnie’s new heist.
‘Den of Thieves’ Stars Gerard Butler & O’Shea Jackson Jr. on Their Bigger, Better Sequel
Gerard Butler & O’Shea Jackson Jr. discuss their action movie franchise and what they learned from one other on the sequel, ‘Den of Thieves: Pantera.’
Despite the seemingly odd situation, Donnie doesn’t really hesitate to bring Nick into the fold. True to form, however, Nick doesn’t give him much of a choice. With nothing more left to lose, Nick has positioned himself rather well to become the newest member of Donnie’s crew. Given everyone elseinvolved is prior militaryor law enforcement, Nick’s sudden turn to the dark side doesn’t surprise anyone else in the crew. In fact, his position as a cop actually works in their favor and allows them access to the vault they plan to lift.
Does Everyone Really Believe Nick Has Become a Criminal?
While Nick never gives any sort of indication that he could everbe a dirty cop, the first film highlights how closely he stands to the line. While he certainly never ripped off anyone and would never harm another cop, he had no problem bending the law if it meant catching bad guys. Simply put, he’s no stranger to knocking a few heads around to get what he wants. Plus, it helps that Nick won’t have to come face to face with any of his fellow police officers who might get caught in his crossfire.
Because the film takes place in Europe and involves stealing from people with more than enough money, Nick clearly doesn’t mind breaking the law. As such, Donnie and his crew believe Nick is legit. Furthermore, viewers are in the same boat. At no point throughout the heist planning does Nick appear to be working both sides. Plus, given what viewers already know about him, it makes perfect sense that Nick would be fed up with the way things have panned out for him. However, given howthe world ofDen of Thievesalways seems to unfold, more lies beyond the surface of what viewers initially see.Den of Thieves 2: Panterais currently playing in theaters, andDen of Thievesis streaming onMax.
